§ Mr. John Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to increase the extent of nursery school education in Scotland by giving additional financial assistance to local authorities for this purpose.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellNursery education, in common with local authority expenditure generally, is assisted by the Government through rate support grant. Because of the competing claims for resources of the rest of the education service I see no immediate prospect of permitting a general expansion of nursery education. Under the urban programme, however, grant of 75 per cent. is available on approved nursery school projects in urban areas of special social need and some 1,300 places have already been approved.